Pope makes AI his “signature” issue, but what can he do?

As humanity is grappling with the rapid (r)evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), the new pope sees it as a defining concern of his papacy, echoing the legacy of his namesake who confronted the industrial revolution over a century ago. But what can the Church really do?

Pope Leo XIII, the namesake of current American Pope Leo XIV, lived during the times of the industrial revolution when factories, railways, and other new technologies disrupted societies.

In 1891, Leo XIII addressed the problems of the industrial revolution by issuing an encyclical Rerum Novarum ("Of New Things").

“In any case we clearly see, and on this there is general agreement, that some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class,” Rerum Novarum on Capital and Labor reads.

Interestingly enough, he rejected socialism as a solution to the exploitation of human labor, saying that socialists are working “on the poor man's envy of the rich.”

“Their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community,” it reads.

The current pope, Leo XIV said it is because of the tech revolution that he chose his name.

According to the Wall Street Journal, just two days into his reign, Leo XIV addressed the College of Cardinals by saying the following: “Today, the church offers its trove of social teaching to respond to another industrial revolution and to innovations in the field of artificial intelligence that pose challenges to human dignity, justice and labor.”

As the news outlet pointed out, the American pope is making the potential AI threat a signature issue of his pontificate.

It is the early days of the new Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, and so we probably shouldn’t expect a clearer vision of how he’s going to take on this crusade. If it’s even going to be a crusade, of course.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, seemingly understood that the Church can’t be ignorant of the new technology, especially if it wants to stay relevant.

Shortly after the AI-generated image of Pope Francis wearing a white-colored Balenciaga puffer coat with a cross around his neck made rounds, he addressed the AI problem during the G7 summit.

“We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines,” said the pope.

At the beginning of the year, the Vatican published Antiqua et nova (Old and New): Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, addressing anthropological and ethical challenges raised by AI.

“Considering the various challenges posed by advances in technology, Pope Francis emphasized the need for growth in “human responsibility, values, and conscience,” proportionate to the growth in the potential that this technology brings — recognizing that “with an increase in human power comes a broadening of responsibility on the part of individuals and communities,” a lengthy document reads.

It discusses various issues around AI, such as the technology’s usage in warfare, human vs. machine intelligence, and very down-to-earth issues like AI’s role in misinformation, surveillance, etc.

Only Leo XIV, unlike Pope Francis, made AI his signature issue.

Can the Church stall the progress of technology or, rather, help its followers adapt and make peace with what’s to come?

Because, as per the Godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, there’s no stopping it.